Roses
You love the roses – so do I. I wish
The sky would rain down roses, as they rain
From off the shaken bush. Why will it not?
Then all the valley would be pink and white
And soft to tread on. They would fall as light
As feathers, smelling sweet; and it would be
Like sleeping and like waking, all at once!
George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans)
George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) was born in Warwickshire in England in 1819 and died in 1880. She was one of the leading writers of the Victorian era, well know as the author of seven novels (including The Mill on the Floss, Silas Marner and Middlemarch) but less well known for her poetry. She was also an editor and translator.
Her personal life was scandalous for the time. She had a twenty year relationship with George Henry Lewes, who was in an open marriage with another woman, and she later married a man twenty years her junior. The marriage lasted only a few months before her death.
You can watch a strange animation of her reading the poem on youtube. Here is the link to the other Tuesday poems.
Janis Freegard's Weblog 
This is such a soft poem for Eliot, one of the great intellectual novelists. It’s always interesting to see the poetry of a person known primarily as a novelist. Thanks for posting, Janis.
Yes, it is interesting – I had no idea she wrote poetry until I found this yesterday. Thanks for stopping by.
Wow, I didn’t know she wrote poetry either. Fascinating. Also, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen that painting by Van Gogh, so this post of yours has been a cornucopia of discoveries!
Thanks for this Janis.Fascinating stuff. I love the combination of Van Gogh’s gentle painting with the poem and that amazing animated reading.What will they think of next!
Yes, the picture and the poem match so nicely – the sky/backdrop even looks like it is raining petals. Cheers.
I too had no idea that George Eliot wrote poetry – I love the two novels of hers that I’ve read, but this short, elegant poem is in complete contrast. Thanks for posting this, Janis.
another one who doesn’t know she wrote poetry – i really like it
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